2-bucks
Well-Known Member
Well I took my normal week of "rut" vacation last week. The weekend started off real bad with Saturday being mostly a bust. For my first time in 35 years of hunting I drove to my hunting spot WITHOUT MY DANG BOW!!! Back home I went and ended up just sitting in a stand I can walk to from my house for a few hours. Saw 3 does but no chasing. The afternoon was booked with family stuff so that was out. Sunday AM and back to my farm (with a bow this time). I sit on a pretty crappy food plot because it is the only good morning stand for that wind direction and I have one 2 year old cruise by. I decide not to do an all day sit because I have the rest of the week off and thought I would see the family for the middle of the day. On the way home I start to feel crappy. Good thing I headed home because I end up with the stomach flu all afternoon.
Monday AM I am afraid to get far from the house (toilet) so I go to the stand by my house again. See several does and bucks, decent cruising and chasing, but no shooters. So a good start to the day and I'm feeling better so I head to the farm for a mid day sit in a nice transition spot. As I'm getting set up at 12:30 I spot a doe in the thick grassy/brushy field about 70 yards behind me. I figure there has to be a buck making her walk around and sure enough a big fat 8 point materializes. I spend the next 20 minutes watching them and slowly getting an arrow knocked and at least a hat on, there is no way I can get my coat on with the lack of cover I have in that direction. Eventually they wander off without presenting a shot but I know by where they went that they could easily wrap around back in front of me to the trails I was actually set up for. Three more smaller bucks filter through the filed behind me, all on the same does trail over the next hour and eventually I see movement in front of me to the right. Sure enough it is the doe and nice 8 from earlier and for once he cooperates and goes right through my shooting lane at 35 yards. I make a decent shot and he crashes just out of sight about 70 yards away. He scored right at 145" and dressed out at 220 lbs. I have not checked his teeth but with his fat sagging belly I am guessing him at 4.5. I am horrible at aging though so take that with a grain of salt.
Tuesday was a non productive duck hunting day and I decided to get my land owner tag because there were just too many days of vacation left. I used the second chance to set up a new mid day climber stand in some thick timber I usually stay out of. I had two nice 2 year olds cruise by at 10:30 and 1:30 so it was not a bad set up and now new spot in my bag of tricks. At 2 pm I move to a stand that is on a decent growing food plot but is also a river bottom timber transition spot. My plan is to only shoot a "monster" (read 165"+ type). By 3:00 I have 3 does and decent buck chasing them. For the next hour I end up seeing 5 does and 5 bucks all chasing and grunting all over the place, including 3 or 4 of them within 10 yards of my stand. I am having a ball! At 4:00 a nice buck comes hauling butt behind a doe and is going to pass me at 30 yards. I decide he may not be a monster but I am going to shoot him if I can. Urps don't stop him so eventually I literally YELL "HEY!" He stops at 35 but is very alert. Quartering away I calm down, put the 35 yard pin on the bottom of his body and proceed to shoot him right in the a**. I want to puke. I honestly don't know if I jerked the shot or if he moved forward that much. He did drop as expected beacue I hit perfectly where I wanted up and down. I know some people will actually take that shot (not me) and I know more than one person who has accidentally done so and had massive blood trails. I knew it was likely either going to recover fine or be dead in minutes. I waited 15-20 minutes and got down to check the spot of impact and immediately found a massive blood trail. The arrow went in the back of the right ham and out the front of the left ham. I hit at least one and maybe more arteries. Extremely deadly shot, but not one I will ever do on purpose.
This buck also scored 145" but was 180 lbs. From the body I am guessing him at 3.5. I know he could have been a giant in a couple years and applaud you guys that can pass on these deer but I guess I am just not there yet. I had a blast and am very blessed to the have taken both of these deer, especially with a poor shot on the second one.
Good luck to everyone else still in the hunt!!!
P.S. Then Back to duck hunting Thursday and we got 8 ducks. Then to a Foo Fighters concert in Des Moines Friday!
P.S.S. My apologies to Team Tinfoil...I had every intention of joining your team but never got around to it. Maybe it is better I didn't. Whenever I set goals or expectations like that I seem to jinx myself.
Monday AM I am afraid to get far from the house (toilet) so I go to the stand by my house again. See several does and bucks, decent cruising and chasing, but no shooters. So a good start to the day and I'm feeling better so I head to the farm for a mid day sit in a nice transition spot. As I'm getting set up at 12:30 I spot a doe in the thick grassy/brushy field about 70 yards behind me. I figure there has to be a buck making her walk around and sure enough a big fat 8 point materializes. I spend the next 20 minutes watching them and slowly getting an arrow knocked and at least a hat on, there is no way I can get my coat on with the lack of cover I have in that direction. Eventually they wander off without presenting a shot but I know by where they went that they could easily wrap around back in front of me to the trails I was actually set up for. Three more smaller bucks filter through the filed behind me, all on the same does trail over the next hour and eventually I see movement in front of me to the right. Sure enough it is the doe and nice 8 from earlier and for once he cooperates and goes right through my shooting lane at 35 yards. I make a decent shot and he crashes just out of sight about 70 yards away. He scored right at 145" and dressed out at 220 lbs. I have not checked his teeth but with his fat sagging belly I am guessing him at 4.5. I am horrible at aging though so take that with a grain of salt.
Tuesday was a non productive duck hunting day and I decided to get my land owner tag because there were just too many days of vacation left. I used the second chance to set up a new mid day climber stand in some thick timber I usually stay out of. I had two nice 2 year olds cruise by at 10:30 and 1:30 so it was not a bad set up and now new spot in my bag of tricks. At 2 pm I move to a stand that is on a decent growing food plot but is also a river bottom timber transition spot. My plan is to only shoot a "monster" (read 165"+ type). By 3:00 I have 3 does and decent buck chasing them. For the next hour I end up seeing 5 does and 5 bucks all chasing and grunting all over the place, including 3 or 4 of them within 10 yards of my stand. I am having a ball! At 4:00 a nice buck comes hauling butt behind a doe and is going to pass me at 30 yards. I decide he may not be a monster but I am going to shoot him if I can. Urps don't stop him so eventually I literally YELL "HEY!" He stops at 35 but is very alert. Quartering away I calm down, put the 35 yard pin on the bottom of his body and proceed to shoot him right in the a**. I want to puke. I honestly don't know if I jerked the shot or if he moved forward that much. He did drop as expected beacue I hit perfectly where I wanted up and down. I know some people will actually take that shot (not me) and I know more than one person who has accidentally done so and had massive blood trails. I knew it was likely either going to recover fine or be dead in minutes. I waited 15-20 minutes and got down to check the spot of impact and immediately found a massive blood trail. The arrow went in the back of the right ham and out the front of the left ham. I hit at least one and maybe more arteries. Extremely deadly shot, but not one I will ever do on purpose.
This buck also scored 145" but was 180 lbs. From the body I am guessing him at 3.5. I know he could have been a giant in a couple years and applaud you guys that can pass on these deer but I guess I am just not there yet. I had a blast and am very blessed to the have taken both of these deer, especially with a poor shot on the second one.
Good luck to everyone else still in the hunt!!!
P.S. Then Back to duck hunting Thursday and we got 8 ducks. Then to a Foo Fighters concert in Des Moines Friday!
P.S.S. My apologies to Team Tinfoil...I had every intention of joining your team but never got around to it. Maybe it is better I didn't. Whenever I set goals or expectations like that I seem to jinx myself.
